Keep out the snow shovel. Another nor'easter, 'bomb cyclone' expected

Winter storm watches from Long Island to Maine

(CNN) - The month of March is intent on going out like a lion and not like a lamb.

A third powerful nor'easter in less than two weeks is expected to arrive late Monday in the Northeast as thousands of people dig out from the other fierce storms this month and continue to wait for their power to be restored.

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The latest barrage is forecast to roar into New England and New York through Tuesday, bringing pounding snow, howling winds and coastal flooding, forecasters say. This one could reach "bomb cyclone" status, a severe drop in atmospheric pressure that would bring heavy snow and winds.

Nearly 50 million people are under a winter weather advisory or warning from the Tennessee Valley into New England, including New York City, Boston, and Portland, Maine.

A blizzard warning has been issued for parts of Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, according to the National Weather Service.

Airlines and local transportation have begun preparing for the storm. Around 1:45 p.m., American Airlines announced it was suspending flights from Boston on Tuesday because of the upcoming storm.

"Scattered cancellations and delays are also possible at other airports throughout the Northeast," the winter weather alert from the airline said.

Over 1,000 flights were canceled in the United States on Tuesday, 402 at Boston Logan alone, according to FlightAware.

Amtrak temporarily suspended its Northeast Corridor Service between Boston and New York until at least 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The heaviest snow will fall from Connecticut to Maine. Winds gusts close to hurricane force are forecast, mainly for New England.

The National Weather Service's Boston office is forecasting 8 inches to a foot of snow for parts of Connecticut through western Massachusetts and up to 18 inches for eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

A slight shift in the track of the storm of 50 miles east or west could have a big impact on the amount of snow received.

Boston is one of the cities likely to bear the brunt of the storm. Snowfall totals of 12 to 20 inches are predicted. In some areas, snow could reach 2 feet.

"Although there is still uncertainty in the forecast, it is likely that Massachusetts will be impacted by a significant storm tonight into Tuesday evening with the potential for blizzard-like conditions and snowfall rates of 1-3 inches per hour," the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said.

"This storm could bring significant snowfall across much of the Commonwealth, high winds along the coast, southeast and eastern portions of the state, and minor coastal flooding on east ocean-exposed shorelines."

New York City, under a winter weather advisory, will be spared the heaviest snow, but accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected. Little or no snow accumulation is forecast for Philadelphia and Washington.

The National Weather Service said in a 4:45 p.m. update that Suffolk County, New York, and Southern Connecticut will receive a heavy, wet snowfall of 5 to 10 inches, with 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour. This will lead to difficult traveling for the Tuesday morning commute.

Northeast New Jersey and Nassau County, New York, and the lower Hudson Valley will see 2 to 5 inches of wet snowfall by Tuesday morning, the weather service said.

The Long Island Sound and Southern and Eastern Bays of Long Island could see possible minor flooding, according to the weather service.

The forecast in Eastern Long Island and Southeast Connecticut calls for 20 to 30 mph winds, with gusts up to 45 mph. According to a news release, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy plans to open the state's emergency operations center in Hartford at 4 a.m. Tuesday to monitor storm conditions and coordinate rapid response.

On March 2, a nor'easter that morphed into a "bomb cyclone" slammed much of the Northeast with heavy snow and rain, hurricane-force wind gusts, and significant coastal flooding. The storm left six people dead from falling trees, and about 900,000 people lost electrical power.

As residents were still digging out from that snow, a second storm hit the Northeast late last week. The storm dropped heavy, wet snow in areas west of Interstate 95, leaving feet of snow in some areas and leaving one person dead in Suffern, in southern New York.

For this week's storm Boston Mayor Martin Walsh issued a winter storm warning from 11 p.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Walsh said in a statement that the city's public works crews would pretreat roads Monday evening and would have 700 pieces of equipment on hand to clear roadways once the snow begins.

Walsh said on Twitter that a snow emergency and parking plan would go into effect for the city at 7 p.m. Monday. "Discounted parking will be available in designated garages beginning today at 5 p.m.," he said on Twitter.

Stephanie Pollack, CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said during a Monday afternoon news conference that it's possible all 4,000 state snow crews could be deployed if necessary.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said during the news conference that nonemergency state employees working in executive branches should not report to work Tuesday.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that New York responders were ready "to keep the roads clear and the power on." The state, he said, has over 700 generators, over 250 light towers, about 1,250 pumps, almost 1 million sandbags, over 56,300 ready-to-eat meals, over 340,000 cans of water, over 4,000 flashlights, thousands of cots, blankets, and pillows, almost 1,000 traffic barriers, and over 7,000 feet of temporary flood barrier.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a news release that emergency operations would be activated Monday night at JFK International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. The Port Authority, the news release said, plans to have buses available in case AirTrain in Newark or AirTrain JFK are suspended.

The Port Authority is also prepared to assist airlines and terminal operators with transporting passengers if they are stranded.

A toll-free hotline will be available for New Yorkers to keep track of weather updates, power outage restoration times and locations of shelters and warming centers, Cuomo said.

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